WASHINGTON — Seeking to end a bitter five-year quarrel with the NAACP, President George W. Bush has struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his first presidential appearance before the civil rights group, calling on Republicans and black voters to help the nation "rise above political differences to heal old wounds" and pledging to renew the Voting Rights Act.

Coming in the midst of a concerted Republican Party effort to attract African-American support, Bush pointed to the billions in federal relief funds allocated to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts . He stopped short of acknowledging fault in the government's slow response to the 2005 hurricane, but did accept blame on behalf of the Republican Party for ignoring black voters in the past.

"I consider it a tragedy that the party of Abraham Lincoln let go of its historic ties with the African-American community," Bush said, speaking Thursday before the NAACP's annual convention here. "For too long, my party wrote off the African-American vote, and many African-Americans wrote off the Republican Party."

He added: "I want to change the relationship."

His speech received a warm but wary welcome from members of the nation's oldest civil rights group, which has been highly critical of Bush in the past. He has described his relationship with the National Association of Colored People as "basically nonexistent," and he declined five straight invitations to speak at the group's convention.

In 2004, the NAACP's chairman, Julian Bond, sharply criticized the president after Bush skipped the group's convention during an election year. At that time, Bond, a former Georgia state senator and a Democrat, said Republicans "practice racial division."

Soon after, the Internal Revenue Service began an investigation into whether Bond's anti-Bush rhetoric violated the NAACP's status as a nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization. The organization refused to turn over tax forms, labeling the investigation a partisan retaliation. The dispute remains unresolved.

"I understand that many African- Americans distrust my political party," Bush said, provoking one of the loudest cheers of the speech.

Bush's appearance occurred a year after Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told the 2005 NAACP convention that Republicans "were wrong" to ignore black voters and exploit racial tensions.

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But the party's efforts were hindered by widespread criticism after the slow federal response to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, many of whom were poor African-Americans.

Bush moved quickly Thursday to address the fallout from Katrina, saying that he and the NAACP's president, Bruce Gordon, have worked together on organizing Katrina recovery efforts.

"We've had frank discussions, starting with Katrina," Bush said. "I don't expect Bruce to become a Republican, and neither do you. But I do want to work with him."

Some delegates felt the administration's efforts in the Gulf Coast have fallen short. And several conventioneers said Bush should have apologized for the government's inaction.

"I think an apology would have been in order," said Elvin McCorvey of Pensacola, Florida.

Bush's speech coincided with the Senate's 98-to-0 vote to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He received a standing ovation after vowing to sign the bill into law, although some Republican House members had tried to dilute the bill.

In his speech, Bush also touched on policy points that black voters have traditionally opposed. He received little to no applause while touting his No Child Left Behind education laws and the proposed repeal of the estate tax.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, the noted civil rights leader, said that "I sense in the speechwriter a distance from appreciating the nuances of this audience," adding that blacks still disagree with Bush on the minimum wage and the war in Iraq, among other issues.